Karen Simmons awoke early one cold winter morning because she had almost 70 miles to drive to begin her day as a pharmaceutical sales representative with Health Sense Pharmaceuticals. Karen knew the trip might take a little longer that day because the forecast called for about three inches of snow and a high temperature of 35 degrees, the ideal conditions for a very sloppy day. Even though most of the trip was on the interstate highway, Karen didn’t want the snow to make her late for any of her ten appointments scheduled that day. Karen has worked for Health Sense for almost three years and enjoyed much success during that time—often outselling more senior representatives in nearby territories. She attributes her success to dedication and the desire to “give the company a full day’s work for a full day’s pay.” As Karen looked out her bedroom window, she realized that, for once, the weatherman had gotten it right. After making all of her sales calls for the day, Karen attended a social gathering sponsored by the local chapter of Sales Representatives International (a worldwide trade association dedicated to the advancement of the sales profession). There she ran into Mike Johnson and Lisa Wright, two Health Sense Pharmaceuticals reps with territories that border Karen’s.

MIKE: Hi, Karen. How’s it going?

KAREN: Pretty good. Today’s weather was kind of bad, wasn’t it? I had to go all the way up to the northern end of my territory, and you know how people drive in the snow.

MIKE: I wouldn’t know. I downloaded this cool golf game for my iPad over the weekend, so when I saw today’s weather I decided to play golf! I did a little paperwork this afternoon but the golf game works well. I guess I’ll have to make up a few calls to doctors just to fill my day.

LISA: Why does it always have to snow or rain on Mondays? When I saw that snow I decided to go to the mall—at least it’s indoors. I did make it to my 2:00 appointment though, because I had been trying to get in to see that doctor for quite a while.

KAREN: Well, you two had interesting days. Hey, there’s Dave. I think I’ll go say hi. You both take care and I’ll see you at the next meeting.

Dave is a sales rep for Midtown Copiers. Karen met him in a doctor’s office two weeks ago while they were both waiting to see the same doctor—Karen to discuss pharmaceuticals and Dave to sell the doctor a new copy machine for his practice.

DAVE: Hi, Karen. How’s business?

KAREN: Pretty good. I had a good day today. You know, customers seem to appreciate you making the effort to keep your appointments in bad weather. Did you ever get that doctor to buy a new copy machine? I’ve been hearing the office workers complaining about the copier.

DAVE: Well, the office workers may be complaining, but that doctor didn’t think he needed a new copier. He still thought his copier was under warranty and that the manufacturer could fix any problems.

KAREN: So, was the copier still under warranty?

DAVE: Yeah, I think so. That manufacturer offers a five-year warranties and the machine in that office is only four years old. However, the nice thing is that he doesn’t have the invoice any longer and the dealer for that machine is out of business now. I was able to convince him that, without a local dealer, he wouldn’t be able to get service—even though the manufacturer maintains a service center 50 miles away in Springfield.

KAREN: I guess you sold him a new copier, then?

DAVE: I sure did, but the nice thing is that I got him to hold off on placing the order until this week. That way the order will count toward a sales contest our firm is holding over the next two months. Waiting until March to place the order will put me on the path to winning a trip to Cancun, Mexico.

KAREN: Well, good luck with that, Dave.

DAVE: Hasta la vista, Karen.

1. Discuss the ethical situation faced by Mike and Lisa. What did they do that was unethical? Pretend that you are the manager of Mike, Lisa, and Karen. How could you find out if Mike and Lisa acted unethically? What would you do about it?

2. What do you think of Dave’s behavior in selling the doctor a new copier? Did Dave act unethically at all? If you believe that Dave acted unethically, how did he do so and what should his manager do about it? Finally, how will Dave’s actions affect his relationship with this doctor?